Intelligent Edge brings the power of the Cloud to mobile and IoT devices, thus creating a connected ecosystem.

In a mobile-first and Cloud-first country like India, there now lies a new over $100 billion opportunity if we can leverage Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge solutions across industries, Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, said on Wednesday.

The Intelligent Edge brings the power of the Cloud to mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, thus creating a connected ecosystem. Microsoft today is leading the digital momentum in India with a renewed thrust on Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge.

“Look at any industry in India and you will see Intelligent Edge around. Think about a farm where a farmer can leverage Intelligent Edge. Health care and education are areas where application of Intelligent Edge is now being seen in the country,” Maheshwari told reporters during the annual Microsoft media day at the sprawling, 54-acre campus here.

Azure IoT Edge is an implementation of the Intelligent Edge. Cloud-enabled computing at the edge means concentrating data, making sense of it by analysing it and then leveraging it to its full potential.

“More than just delivering devices and Cloud experiences to millions, Microsoft has now turned its focus on empowering health care and education in the country with its Next-Gen Cloud and Edge solutions,” Maheshwari said. Almost every company will eventually become a software one at some point of time with the fourth industrial revolution and an Intelligent Cloud will chart their digital journey.

“Customers are looking to Microsoft and our thriving partner ecosystem to accelerate their own digital transformations and to unlock new opportunity in this era of Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge,” the Microsoft India head stressed. With a rich ecosystem of over 9,000 partners and nearly 102 million developers, Microsoft works with over 200,000 large, medium and small enterprises, 29 state governments and over 5,000 start-ups in the country.

“Both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments are leading Microsoft partners when it comes to Cloud. We are also among the first global Cloud providers to be partnered/empanelled by the Ministry of IT,” Maheshwari told the gathering, adding that Microsoft Cloud services have been deployed in 13 states so far. Setting up India operations in 1990, Microsoft currently employs more than 8,000 people in the country.

According to Maheshwari, there are four pillars to bring in real digital transformation for India. “Empower employees to be more productive, engage with customers to leverage better services, optimise operations and transform products – will take us on the path towards digital transformation,” he said. When it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Maheshwari said AI will create better farmers, teachers and doctors in India that will eventually help improve our lives.

In order to deliver a modern workplace to governments as well as enterprises, Microsoft has brought together Office 365, Windows 10, Enterprise Mobility and Security — all packaged into a single offering. “We offer a modern workplace with the combination of security and mobility,” the top Microsoft executive said.

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